Recently, I received an email about a LinkedIn Research Network/Harris Poll. The poll showed the differences between what advertisers believe and what consumers believe.
A couple of tidbits from the poll are:
- While over half of advertisers believe ads that make people stop and think (53%) and ads that give people new information (51%) are very effective, just three in ten consumers (30% and 29% respectively) feel the same.
- When it comes to ads that show before/after, 24% of advertisers say they are very effective while 13% of consumers say they are very effective.
- One in five advertisers (21%) say ads that reinforce a message already known are very effective compared to 10% of consumers.
- When addressing the economic crisis, three in five advertisers (61%) say they are using a value proposition strategy, promoting sales, coupons and discounts and almost three in five consumers (57%) say that this strategy is working very well or well to help them sell their products or services.
- Only 18% of advertisers say they are using the ‘luxuries for less’ as a campaign, but 34% of consumers say these types of ads work very well or well in selling products and services.
Link to research - Advertisers and Audiences: How Their Views on Advertising Effectiveness Differ – July 21, 2009
Additionally, another poll talks about what type of ads are considered most helpful to various age groups. It has charts that show various mediums (TV, newspaper, etc) against how helpful the mediums ads are.
Link to research - Television Ads Considered Most Helpful to Americans – July 1, 2009
So, what does this all mean? To me, the polls reinforce two things. First, know who you are targeting. Second, don’t think you can talk to everyone the same way. Sounds pretty rudimentary, huh?
However, you would be surprised how many people say “I want to reach people between the ages of 18-64.” While your widget/service may be appropriate for that large of a demographic, you can’t expect a 20 something to react the same way and empty nester would. If you look at the second poll listed above, each age group looks at media differently. Not surprisingly, 31% of people 55+ find newspaper ads helpful vs. 6% of 18-34 year olds.
Again, this seems like pretty basic information. But when you layer budget constraints, time lines and the pressure to generate sales, this concept tends to be forgotten. So, make sure you narrow down your demographic and stick with it!
